Bambina Stripes snatches SA Fillies Classic

Gr1 SA Fillies Classic winner - Bambina Stripes

Bambina Stripes may have been one of the less experienced runners in a field of 13 for the SA Fillies Classic, but that didn’t stop her from snatching a virtually last-gasp victory in the middle leg of the Gauteng Triple Tiara over 1800m at Turffontein (standside) on Saturday.  Only big outsider Classic Illusion had started less times than Bambina Stripes going into this race, but those who dismissed Bambina Stripes on the basis of an 83 merit rating which appeared to give her no chance overlooked the fact that she’d run a long way above that mark in a set weights race won by Felix The Cat at Greyville eleven days earlier, MATTHEW LIPS

Current handicapping rules do not allow for horses to receive any penalty for placing in plate races other than maiden events and it could have been argued (using Felix The Cat as a line horse) that Bambina Stripes had achieved a rating of 102 at Greyville.  The highest officially rated runners in the Fillies Classic were Amanee and Control Freak on a mark of 101, and in any case Bambina Stripes had given every indication that this step up to 1800m would suit, so those who cottoned on to all this would have been quite satisfied with her 9/1 starting price on Saturday and it really can pay to do your own handicapping sometimes.

Control Freak had finished an honourable fourth in the Gr 2 Gauteng Fillies Guineas on her South African debut five weeks earlier and the Zimbabwe-trained ace was installed as a 7/2 joint favourite with Gauteng Fillies Guineas runner-up Ilha Bela.  Katy’s Lane was well supported to start at 4/1 from an ante-post price of 6/1, but Gauteng Fillies Guineas winner Go Indigo was allowed to go off at 11/1.

The early pace was only reasonable and it was Bluroute who came across quickly from her wide draw to cut out the running ahead of Awesome Beauty and Control Freak, with Katy’s Lane, Classic Illusion and Kalami further back as Bambina Stripes found herself some way off the pace and caught a little wide after jumping from the 11 gate.  Ilha Bela was also held up in the bunch as her stable companion Bluroute led them into the straight, where it wasn’t long before Control Freak came forward to lead as Katy’s Lane appeared to be caught flatfooted for a while.  Kalami also came galloping into contention and picked up a narrow lead as Control Freak began to weaken from 200m out.  Ilha Bela was also running on strongly and Katy’s Lane had got going again and was throwing her hat into the ring as well, but wide out Bambina Stripes was starting to bear down on them all.

Kalami gamely managed to hold off all challengers – except one, surrendering the advantage to Bambina Stripes in virtually the last stride as Alec Forbes forced the KZN raider to the front virtually on the line to beat Kalami by a head.  Ilha Bela ran on well to finish only a long head further away in third, with Katy’s Lane half-a-length behind her in fourth, but Control Freak ran out of steam in her first try at 1800m and was beaten 3.25 lengths into ninth.  She is certainly useful, but another Ipi Tombe she is not.

Amanee stayed on well to be beaten 2.25 lengths into fifth place in only her second appearance since winning a Gr 1 over 1600m at Greyville last July and looks to be coming along very nicely if the Gr 2 SA Oaks over 2450m on April 28^th is what she is aiming for.  Go Indigo was never a factor and finished eighth, three lengths behind the winner.

The fairly bunched finish was reminiscent of the Gauteng Fillies Guineas and it is debatable how many real stars there were in either line-up, but Bambina Stripes is certainly going the right way and time may well show that she was a very worthy winner.   “Everything went wrong,” noted her jockey afterwards, confirming that Dennis Drier’s filly had been forced to race three wide virtually the whole way round before changing legs at the 200m and quickening in fine style.  No future plans were announced for the Argentine-bred winner, but one imagines that the Gr 1 Woolavington 2000 at Greyville in June is an obvious target.